Local and State Headlines for Thursday, August 9th, 2018

posted by Mark Starling -
Aug 9, 2018

Infant Dies In Burke County Accident (Burke County, NC)

State troopers say a head-on collision resulted in the death of an infant in Burke County. The 21-year-old driver was reportedly traveling over the speed limit when he crossed into the opposite lane of traffic on Henry River Road. Two young children, including the four-month-old who died, were ejected while still in their car seats. The driver died at the hospital.

Fatal Shooting Investigated In Rutherford County (Rutherford County, NC)

The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office is investigating a deadly shooting. Deputies say a man was already dead when they arrived after he was shot in the chest inside a Forest City home. A girl was grazed by a bullet and taken to the hospital. A detective said there are no suspects on the run.

Fallen Tree Causes Thousands Of Power Outages (Asheville, NC)

Duke Energy Progress says more than 20-thousand customers lost power yesterday when a tree was hit by lightning and ripped down power lines in Elk Mountain. The power outage for most customers lasted around two hours across the region from Buncombe to Transylvania and Jackson Counties. A meteorologist with the National Weather Service says the storms were worse than expected. The system was reportedly dropping an inch of rain every half-hour.

Commissioner Seeking Audit In Buncombe (Buncombe County, NC)

A Buncombe County commissioner wants a forensic audit conducted into the county's financial and internal practices. This comes on the heels of indictments against three former county officials for fraud. Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara says there's been a culture of corruption. She also wants better communication with the public.

Children Found In Home With Drugs, Firearms (Polk County, NC)

A police chief in Polk County says some children have been living in horrific conditions inside a home filled with drugs and firearms. The kids were taken by the Department of Social Services after officers found them playing in a room where meth was found in Columbus. Four people were arrested on a range of drug and child abuse charges. Three dogs were also taken by animal control.

Spirit Airlines Donating To Non-Profits (Asheville, NC)

An airline that's soon to be flying out of Asheville plans to donate to four local organizations. Spirit Airlines wants the community to choose which nonprofit will receive ten-thousand-dollars and 20 free tickets by heading to SpiritGivingAsheville-dot-com. Three other nonprofits will receive ten free tickets. The airline begins routes to three Florida cities out of Asheville Regional Airport in September.

One person is dead after a police involved shooting at a Durham shopping center. Durham police say they're investigating after two of their officers had to kill a man in self defense last night at the New Hope Commons shopping center. According to police the man was suicidal and pointed a gun at the officers who were trying to talk to him. CBS17 reports that witnesses heard the victim screaming for police to shoot him before shots were fired.